ld utter a word, Berry was off.

Advancing with an air of engaging frankness, which would have beguiled
the most hardened cynic, he let loose upon our cousin a voluminous flood
of chatter, which drowned his protests ere they were mouthed,
overwhelmed his inquiries ere they were launched, and finally swept him
off his feet into the whirlpool of uncertainty, fear and bewilderment
before he knew where he was.

We had only just heard of his purchase, were delighted to think we were
to be neighbours, had had no idea he was contemplating a move, had
always said what a jolly little nook it was, never could understand why
it had been in the market so long, thought we might find him here taking
a look round, wanted to see him, so decided to kill two birds with one
stone.... What about the jolly old book? Had it come back from the
binders? We couldn't find ours, thought it must be in Town.... The girls
were devilling the life out of him to look it up. Was it William or
Nicholas? He thought it was William. Hadn't Vandy said it was William?
What was the blinking use, any old way? And what a day I He'd got a bet
with Jonah that the thermometer touched ninety-seven before noon. What
did Vandy think? And what on earth was he doing with the pruning-hook?
And/or ploughshare on his left front? Oh, a scythe. Of course. Wouldn't
he put it down? It made him tired to look at it. And was he reclaiming
the lawn? Or only looking for a tennis-ball? Of course, what he really
wanted was a cutter-and-binder, a steam-roller, and a gang of
convicts....

I had been prepared to support the speaker, but, after three minutes of
this, I left his side and sat down on the flags.

At last Berry paused for breath, and Emma, who had hurriedly composed
and been rehearsing a plausible appreciation of the state of affairs,
and was fidgeting to get it off her chest, thrust her way into the gap.

Well, the truth was, they were going to take up French gardening. There
was no room at Broken Ash, and, besides, they must have a walled garden.
Building nowadays was such a frightful expense, and suddenly they'd
thought of The Lawn. It was sheltered, just the right size, not too far
away, and all they had to do was to clear the ground. And Vandy was so
impatient that nothing would satisfy him but to start at once. "He'll
get tired of it in a day or two," she added artlessly, "but you know
what he is."

For an improvised exposition of proceedings so extraordinary, I